Previews

The Simpsons Game

Our first look at EA Redwood Shores' take on the license, thankfully, isn't tied to the movie.

Spiffy:

Looks like the TV show in action; "fan service" approach to the universe could work well for it; not a movie game.

Iffy:

No hands-on time with it; no online co-op; will these character-based mechanics hold up over several hours?

Since 1991's NES adventure Bart vs. The Space Mutants, gamers of all walks of life have endured some fairly brutal takes on one of TV's most beloved shows. Seriously, few will be masochistic enough to own up to buying Virtual Bart, Simpsons Wrestling or Simpsons Skateboarding. Simpsons: Hit and Run was probably the only title that really managed to do something good with the franchise, and that still means that the Batman license is arguably one up on The Simpsons. EA Redwood Shores plans to remedy that with its debut of the series in next-gen; our first look at The Simpsons Game (working title) could give Bartman equal footing with the Caped Crusader.

First off, it has nothing to do with the upcoming summer film. Secondly, unlike every other developers' take on the series since 3D's advent a decade ago, EA is taking the cel-shaded approach (they call it hand-drawn, but you get the idea) to art design, and weirdly, it looks great. We say weirdly, because with the art design of titles such as Okami and Viewtiful Joe, one might wonder how far game designers can go with cartoon-ish art. The Simpsons, at some points, looks like an episode of the show, from what we saw.

Secondly, EA is taking a totally self-reflexive look at the history of the fabled show. From spoofing all of the bad games that have preceded this one to allegedly mocking the game business and critics, the game looks to take itself just seriously enough for you to enjoy it, but not too seriously. It's pretty much looking like interactive fan service, perhaps minus the clunkiness found in other licensed titles such as Family Guy.

The idea finds the four-fingered nuclear family in a "Not Another Video Game" scenario, in which lots of jokes involving instruction manuals and tutorial modes will ensue. Each family member will have his or her own super powers and abilities, and no one will battle alone.

We saw three levels during our presentation that showed off this dynamic at work. In the first demo, titled "Tree Hugger," Mr. Burns plans to raze all of Springfield's trees to make a box of upscale toothpicks. It's up to Bart and Lisa to stop him. During this level, EA managed to show off the quality of its cutscenes, which look like they're ripped straight out of Sunday evening, and the combat, which also looks extremely true to the show.